Building a Cowboys 2026 roster with current contracts only

One of the best ways to project a team’s offseason activity is to see what the roster would look like without any new additions or re-signings. Naturally, what you already have in-house and under contract plays a large part in determining your needs. But this goes far beyond having enough names to fill up a depth chart: the talent also has to be there to field a competitive team.

So, if the Dallas Cowboys had to play a game this week, what might that 53-man roster look like? Can we even get to 53 with the current guys, assuming the typical balance between different positions. For this exercise, we’re not going to keep extra guys at positions where we wouldn’t expect the team to go long just to fill out the roster. Trying to stay realistic further helps us see where the needs are, even for just bodies.

Also, we’re going to assume that players who’ve been given tags or tender offers will be on the team, whether it’s on one-year deals or they eventually agree to a longer contract. So George Pickens, Brandon Aubrey, and others are all here, even though they haven’t signed their tender offers yet.

Quarterbacks (2)

Dak Prescott
Joe Milton

The safest assumption is that Dallas will run it back with their same two rostered QBs from last year. Will Grier is currently signed to a futures deal, but he’ll probably spend 2026 on the practice squad again if he returns as QB3. Unless the Cowboys decide they want a more proven veteran than Milton as the immediate backup, or they stumble into a talented rookie, they should stand pat here.

Running Backs (3)

Javonte Williams
Jaydon Blue
Phil Mafah

You might feel a little nervous about trusting Blue and Mafah as the depth, given their mutual inexperience. Both barely played as rookies, and Blue’s long period in the coaches’ doghouse is concerning. But his performance in the finale, and positive remarks from coaches in the aftermath about his journey, indicates he may have matured enough for greater trust. Mafah makes sense as the third guy, provided he can play some special teams, as he can handle power carries that Blue can’t.

Fullback (1)

Hunter Luepke

Brian Schottenheimer has already mentioned wanting to get Luepke more involved in 2026, and his job wasn’t really in doubt before that. He provides versatile value as a true FB, occasional RB, emergency TE, and a special teamer. If anyone knocks Mafah off the roster, it might be Luepke if the team decides to use him as RB3 and save a roster spot for another position.

Receivers (6)

CeeDee Lamb
George Pickens
Ryan Flournoy
KaVonte Turpin
Parris Campbell
Traeshon Holden

The top four aren’t really in doubt. The last one or two spots could easily go to guys who aren’t currently on the roster, especially if they want to upgrade WR3 or WR4 with a free agent. For now, we’ll defer to Campbell over Jonathan Mingo for experienced depth and hope that Traeshon Holden builds on last year to earn a spot. But we fully expect at least one talented addition to the mix.

Tight Ends (3)

Jake Ferguson
Brevyn Spann-Ford
Luke Schoonmaker

Dallas is probably fine with this trio for 2026, especially with so many other areas of concern. They might end up dumping Schoonmaker for a younger guy with more upside, but that decision probably wouldn’t come until final cuts.

Offensive Tackles (4)

Tyler Guyton
Terence Steele
Nathan Thomas
Ajani Cornelius

At the very least, Dallas has guys who fill roles and developmental potential in Guyton, Thomas, and Cornelius. We’d love to see them finally upgrade RT, but Steele is here until someone knocks him out. Hopefully, either from within or an outside hire, someone finally does.

Guards & Centers (5)

Tyler Smith
Tyler Booker
Cooper Beebe
T.J. Bass (RFA)
Trevor Keegan

We’re still hoping that Brock Hoffman returns with a new deal but he didn’t get an RFA tender and will be free to leave next week. That opens up a depth spot, and Keegan seems the most likely to take it. He was on the roster to start last season and eventually hit IR with a neck injury, but he is still just 25 and entering his third season. He’s a former fifth-round pick by the Eagles, so hopefully there’s some upside to mine. There may be a competition for backup center between him and Bass. But Dallas could easily add a Day 3 rookie to compete for that role as well.

Defensive Linemen (5)

Quinnen Williams
Osa Odighizuwa
Kenny Clark
Solomon Thomas
Jay Toia

There would’ve been six if Perrion Winfrey was still around, but Dallas just released him a few days ago. Five defensive linemen feels a little thin if the Cowboys are moving into more 3-4 territory, especially with Toia not projecting to play much more than nose tackle. We’d expect at least one more depth guy to make the eventual 53, but these are the only five currently under contract.

Edge Rushers (5)

Donovan Ezeiruaku
James Houston
Marist Liufau
Isaiah Land
Adedayo Odeleye

Yikes! Only two of these guys were actually playing the position last year: Ezeiruaku and Houston. Liufau is reportedly moving to OLB in the new scheme. He’ll have to undergo a significant physical transformation to hold up, and learn a new position in the process. Land and Odeleye were on the practice squad last year, but do have futures deals to return. While it won’t be Maxx Crosby, expect at least one major addition here and probably another couple of rotation guys. Jadeveon Clowney would be nice, but he may takes his time to skip the usual offseason rigors.

Inside Linebackers (3)

DeMarvion Overshown
Shemar James
Justin Barron

This is the spot, more than any other, that’s left barren by the current contracts. With Liufau going outside, and Kenneth Murray and Jack Sanborn free agents, you’re left with an injury-prone player in Overshown and raw talent in James and Barron. It’s no surprise that the Eagles’ Nakobe Dean is being linked to Dallas given this need, and he wouldn’t be the only ILB they add as they look to restock the pantry.

Cornerbacks (6)

DaRon Bland
Shavon Revel Jr.
Caelen Carson
Reddy Steward
Josh Butler
Zion Childress

While upgrades are certainly welcome, at least there’s a measure of solvency here. If Christian Parker can work his same DB magic in Dallas, you could see Revel and Carson filling out the top three. We’d certainly prefer another talent to compete for one of those key spots, though. Steward, Butler, and Childress make sense for depth spots, especially with Steward and Childress’ potential to play the slot. One of them might even push Carson further down the depth chart. But again, this is only based on who’s current under contract. Hopefully, more options will be added.

Safeties (4)

Malik Hooker
Markquese Bell
Alijah Clark
Julius Wood

Donovan Wilson’s a free agent and Juanyeh Thomas didn’t get a RFA tender, so both could be on the way out. It’s not hard to imagine Hooker, Bell, and Clark all making the eventual 53, but hopefully not as your top three safeties. Wood, a practice squad guy, is just here to fill out the depth chart.

Specialists (3)

K Brandon Aubrey (RFA)
P Bryan Anger
LS Trent Sieg

Aubrey received a second-round tender as a RFA, so he should be back one way or another. While he’s still here for now, Anger does turn 38 in October and Dallas could save $3.1 million in cap space off his contract. He may face some competition from a younger man.

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So, we only got to 50 players. Two of those openings are easily at ILB, and the last one would probably be at DL but could be flexible depending the player and the need. But beyond just the numbers, we obviously have work to do to make sure some of the names on this list don’t come anywhere close to the eventual roster, or at least occupy a lower spot on the depth chart.

The regime change on defense has made it harder to project where current talent stands and how Dallas will prioritize free agent and draft possibilities. Perrion Winfrey not getting a chance to compete was surprising, as would be Juanyeh Thomas not returning. We would never have imagined Liufau moving a 3-4 OLB role. Part of this offseason will be learning Christian Parker’s likes and dislikes, which will make it easier to project offseason activity down the road.

Still, we can clearly see that the Cowboys have a lot of work to do in the coming months. That’s not unusual at this point in the offseason, but positions like linebacker, inside and out, and safety are particularly starving for help at the moment. These clearest, most present dangers may be what drives Dallas’ early activity in free agency, not wanting to leave themselves handicapped for the draft.